


Falling for Yoo

by Infidele



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College Hockey, Crack, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15577839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infidele/pseuds/Infidele
Summary: Juho was whipped.On the scale from one to climbing the wall of the art building to peer in through the corner of a window instead of going to hockey practice yesterday, he was a solid sprained ankle in the latter direction.





	Falling for Yoo

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I wanted to post this like 3 months ago but now it's actually done so yay! Taeho oneshot lets go

 

Juho was whipped.

 

On the scale from one to climbing the wall of the art building to peer in through the corner of a window instead of going to hockey practice yesterday, he was a solid sprained ankle in the latter direction. It wasn't his fault though. Taeyang had turned towards the window, and the only thing Juho could do was jump off of the ledge, not thinking twice about the repercussions of jumping from two stories up. Now he was nursing his ankle in the locker room, trying to find the right way to tell his captain he wouldn't be able to practice because he was making questionable decisions due to a stupidly attractive art major.

 

He shouldn't have skipped practice; if he had gone he wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place, but Taeyang had walked past him with cotton candy-colored hair and Juho’s sweet tooth couldn't resist. It was all chalk that got picked up as he ran his fingers through the blond locks while competing in a sidewalk chalk art fair. Juho knew because he now had approximately 43 new photos of Taeyang’s drawings saved on his phone.

 

He didn't even want to think of the hell Jaeyoon would give him for this. Last time he used Taeyang as an excuse he had to do burpees the entire length of practice. Jaeyoon had explicitly said: “If you skip practice one more time because you're too busy chasing after boys, you'll be chasing them on crutches in the future,” only with a lot more cursing. Juho already had the crutches part down, but he feared the way his captain's look soured when he saw Juho sitting on the bench in the locker room.

 

“What the fuck this? And don't give me some headass answer, you fucking dipshit.” Jaeyoon was all soft pink hair and dimples out of the rink, but when he had his jersey on he was as hard as the muscles lining his chest and had a tongue sharper than his canines.

 

“I fell,” Juho mumbled. 

 

“You fell? Fell off of your fucking bed? Fell down the stairs? Fell off of the high horse you’ve been riding since coach made you MVP as a sophomore?”

 

“Someone’s still salty I see,” Inseong chided, slinging an arm around Jaeyoon’s shoulders. The vice-captain gave Juho the once-over and winced. “That looks like it hurts.” 

 

“I fell off the second floor of Hodge,” Juho explained.

 

“You don’t have any art classes, why the hell were you at Hodge?”

 

Inseong slapped Jaeyoon’s chest, “It’s obvious. He was following that one art major around again like last time. Right?”

 

“N-no, I was… uh… I was-”

 

“For fucks sake Juho!” Jaeyoon yelled, “I should kick you off of the team right here, right now!” He grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking Juho forward to look him in the eye. Juho was close enough to smell the scent of Jaeyoon’s deodorant. “We are  _ this _ close to the national tournament and as much as I hate to say it, we can’t fucking win with you on the goddamn bench. You know there is a practice requirement to play in the games, and you are  _ this fucking close _ to Coach removing you from the line-up.” 

 

Jaeyoon let go of Juho’s shirt, letting him escape the castigation and shrink into himself on the bench. Inseong’s gaze was cast to the side, offering no support. They had worked so hard as a team to come this far, and Juho was putting everything on the line for no one’s benefit other than his own.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

 

“You better be, because I have half the mind to rip your dick off right now to end this little game of yours. If it happens again I will, kapische?” Juho nodded. He didn’t want to test Jaeyoon on his word.

 

“When did the doctor say you can play again?” Inseong asked.

 

“Next week at the earliest.”

 

“I’ll have coach make you a special set list for while you’re out. I want you in the gym every day working on everything else because we can’t afford you falling behind right now. The tournament is in two weeks.” It was hardly a punishment since Juho would be doing that even without his injury.

 

“One more question,” Jaeyoon pronounced. “Why do you smell so good?”

 

Inseong leaned in, “Mmm, he does smell nice.” Jaeyoon got closer as well, inhaling Juho’s scent.

 

“What the fuck. Guys, stop smelling me this is weird.” Juho tried to recoil from their sniffers but the lockers behind him blocked his chances of escape.

 

“Is this a new cologne? It’s really nice,” Jaeyoon commented, as if he hadn’t been lecturing Juho just a moment ago.

 

“I could smell you forever this is so good,” Inseong said.

 

“Why are you guys like this,” Juho shivered. He pushed through his older teammates and hopped out of their grasp on one foot.

 

“There is no way Juho can smell this good, his socks are always the most rank out of all the team members and that’s an accomplishment on its own.”

 

“You’re right. I opened his locker one time and I nearly passed out.” Jaeyoon pondered, “Have you been getting some recently?”

 

“No, no, that’s not it. He wouldn’t be getting himself hurt stalking art majors if he was getting any right now. This smells like something fishy,” Inseong theorized. Juho was hobbling away as fast as he could, trying to hide.

 

“Fishy? He doesn’t smell fishy.”

 

“I meant he is up to something, not the smell dude. He smells nice.” 

 

“Right, right.” Juho cringed when they grabbed him to keep him from escaping again. Jaeyoon laced their fingers and Inseong wrapped his arms around Juho’s torso to immobilize him.

 

“Guys, guys it’s not my cologne alright, you can stop smelling me now.”

 

“I think I recognize this smell though, it’s really familiar,” Inseong said. 

 

Jaeyoon nodded “Yeah, I think it smells a bit like Youngkyun. Do you know him?”

 

“Yes, I’ve been tutoring him. I crashed in his room last night and he sprayed me with all of his shit because he couldn’t sleep with my ‘foreign odor’ in the room. Happy?” Juho made an attempt at trying to wrestle free with no success. 

 

“Why couldn’t you sleep in your own room? Did Seokwoo kick you out?” Jaeyoon asked.

 

“No, I would know if he sexiled Juho. Seokwoo and I are tight.” Juho had questions, but he also did not want to know the answers. “Wait, have you told Seokwoo that you got hurt yet?” Juho wanted to die.

 

“Dude, that’s gotta be it.” Jaeyoon was practically giggling. “You better record that shit, it will be fucking insane.” Thankfully, they let go of Juho and he quickly hobbled back to his crutches to make his grand exit.

 

“I never want to talk to you guys again, I’ll see you at practice tomorrow, please don’t tell Seokwoo.”

 

“Too late!” Inseong called. Motherfuckers.

 

Juho shot a middle finger back at them as he left, “I hate you!”

  
  
  
  


Juho stood in front of his door. There wasn’t anything special about it, just a piece of paper with his name and one with Seokwoo’s next to it. The only other thing on the door was the tiny hole that Seokwoo peered through on the other side as he refused to let Juho in. After the initial beating and temper tantrum Seokwoo threw, he had stolen Juho’s crutches and phone. Now Juho was effectively locked out and immobilized.

 

“Seokwoo, I’m a cripple! You can kick me out, but I can’t go anywhere until you give me back my crutches!” Juho banged on the door. At this point the neighbors had already come by to see what was happening and sympathize, so he didn’t even feel bad about being loud.

 

“Stop being a baby and walk without them!” Seokwoo called back.

 

“You’re bullying me and that’s ableist.”

 

“That’s homophobic.”

 

“I am literally the gayest person at this school I don’t understand,” Juho retorted. He may or may not have gotten a gag award from the hockey team last year for exactly that.

 

“Well I don’t understand why you literally threw yourself off the side of a building! Explain it to me!”

 

“I told you, I climbed up the walls because I was interested in what the art class was up to. I slipped and fell off.”

 

“Yeah right,” Seokwoo scoffed.

 

“It’s not even that bad! Just open up the door pleeeeease.”

 

“Juho, I know you are a dumbass and that is literally why I know that you care nothing about what the art classes are doing. The only art you ever look at is anime!” That was a complete and blatant lie: Juho watched BTS videos too and if that wasn’t art he didn’t know what was.

 

“Seokwoo please, let me in or give me back my crutches! I am not going to sleep in the hallway!”

 

“You will be if you don’t tell me what’s going on! Give me details and I’ll let you back in. I deserve to know why my roommate thought it would be a good idea to almost kill himself!”

 

“I told you everything already!”

 

“Then why did Inseong tell me you were stalking one of the stupid art majors?”

 

“He’s not stupid and I wasn’t stalking anyone!” The door flung open, catching Juho off guard. He tumbled forward into Seokwoo who did nothing to stop him from crashing to the floor. 

 

“So there is someone!” Seokwoo exclaimed. The grin on his face was sickening. “What’s his name? Is he a junior? You gonna answer me or what?”

 

“Will you help me off of the floor first you ass?” Seokwoo helped him over to a chair where Juho could rest.

 

“Now answer my questions. Who is this art major and why haven’t you told me about him before?”

 

“Because you do this weirdly invasive investigation thing every time I tell you I’m interested in someone.”

 

“I’m your best friend get used to it. What’s his name?”

 

Angel. Sunshine. Perfection. “Yoo Taeyang.”

 

“Oh wow, I know him!” Juho’s stomach dropped: Seokwoo knowing people was never a good thing. “He is in Chanhee’s suite. I think he was working on something in their lounge when I last visited.”

 

“Pass me my phone,” Juho asked. Seokwoo went to visit Chanhee probably a week ago so Taeyang had probably been working on a piece for the school exhibition. Juho flipped through his gallery quickly and found one of the pictures of the painting in progress to show Seokwoo. “Did it look a bit like this?”   
  


“Yeah it did. How did you get this? Do you have pictures of all of his pieces?” Juho nodded. “That’s actually really creepy, like worse than me.”

 

“It’s beautiful though. He got a place in the school exhibition as a sophomore, he is really talented.”

 

“I mean, I don’t really have an eye for this but it looks nice. How did you meet him?”

 

What a fateful day. Juho hardly had the words to describe what it felt like, seeing Taeyang standing on the school founder’s statue, carefully painting bright colors onto the features in the middle of the night. He turned when he heard Juho’s footsteps and smiled so brightly even in the moonlit square. He put a finger to his lips and went back to defacing the school’s property. Juho knew he was in love that very moment and he would keep Taeyang’s secret for the rest of his life.

 

“I saw him painting in the rose garden one time and we talked for a bit about art and music.” A chance encounter. One of the very few conversations Juho had ever actually had with the boy who lived and breathed bliss.

 

“That’s so romantic dude, I need to step up my game now. Is he into guys? Is he into you?”  Questions Juho pondered quite often.

 

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t be following him around if I did.”

 

“Now that you have more time on your hands,” Seokwoo gestured at Juho’s wrapped ankle, “you should make plans with him!”

 

“Unfortunately I still have practice requirements to meet. Also I might not actually have a way to contact him,” Juho mumbled.

 

“Lucky you, your best friend has connections and I already got his number from Chanhee. I sent it to you and you can thank me later.” Seokwoo grabbed a coat from off his bed and made for the door.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Chanhee and I are going to go get coffee and gossip. Don’t be a fool, text Taeyang!” The door slammed shut behind him. Juho didn’t really know what to think.

 

The green notification light on his phone popped up along with the message from Seokwoo. He looked at the ten little digits carefully, trying to decide his course of action.

 

He could text Taeyang like a normal person and say something like “Hey, it’s Juho I got your number from a mutual friend. Want to hang out sometime?” He could also be the irrational person that he is and pretend to text Taeyang as if he just confused the numbers. Alternatively he could just never text Taeyang ever and keep following him around until he gets his number in person.

 

He was leaning more towards waiting to get Taeyang’s number in person, but he also didn’t want to wait that long. The last time they talked was when Juho accidentally ran into Taeyang in the supermarket. Taeyang had already bought some fruit and a few frozen meals, but he said hi to Juho as he walked out of the store. That was the extent of their conversation and Juho might have cried in the back corner because Taeyang was so beautiful until the manager came and told him he needed to buy something or leave.

 

Juho and his luck were on bad terms at the moment. To prove it, Juho accidentally clicked Taeyang’s number, starting a call. Juho stared at his phone, physically unable to react even though his mind was shouting a thousand different things at once.

 

After the second ring Juho jolted alive, moving to end the call. His hands were shaking so much he dropped the phone instead.

 

“Fuck!” Juho lunged down towards the device.

 

“Juho?” he stopped at the sound of an angel’s voice. Being in the midst of a jump towards his phone, pausing equalized to crashing onto the floor. This would mean nothing if Juho and luck were in agreement. They’re weren’t. 

 

Apparently he and Seokwoo had been having too many dance parties in their room because all it took was Juho falling onto a particularly sagging spot for the floor to cave in. He knew the building was old, but the difference between knowing and understanding was falling a foot into the floor of his dorm room. Profanity and Juho got along swimmingly though, so there was no holding back of the string of curses that followed.

 

“What’s happening? This is Juho right? Are you okay?” Juho could hear Taeyang’s voice from the phone just an arms length away. He groaned trying to pull himself out of the shallow pothole now embedded in his floor. Juho carefully dragged his body out of the hole to not damage it further.

 

When he finally got back to his phone, the call with Taeyang had ended and Juho was in a considerable amount of pain. Not knowing what else to do, Juho called his RA.

 

The phone rang a few times before he picked up. “Yo, it's Youngbin. What's up?”

 

“I think I'm dying.”

 

“Again?” Youngbin sighed. Juho might have called Youngbin more often than necessary, like when there was no more toilet paper or to help him find his favorite shoes because they got lost in the mess that is his half of the dorm room. Youngbin was nice about it though and they became friends anyways. “What happened this time?”

 

“Dude, I broke my floor. Like, there is a massive hole next to my desk now.”

 

“How?”

 

“I might also need medical attention since i fell and caused said hole.”

 

“How bad is it? Should I call an ambulance or can you wait 10 minutes for me to get there?”

 

“I'm dying bro.”

 

“I'll be there in 10 then. Don't do anything stupid.”

 

Ankle throbbing, Juho started to pull splinters out of his arms and torso. He should probably go back to the sports trainer to see if his ankle got worse; this could set him back another couple of days for practice. He could only imagine what Jaeyoon would say if he had to sit out for their first match in the tournament.

 

He also needed to figure out what was going to happen with the new hole in his floor. As a broke college student, he was freaking out. He couldn’t pay to fix this, all of his money was already sucked up into the void of student housing and tuition. It was completely the school's fault for not properly upkeeping the building; students had complained multiple times about the poor conditions, but the blame for this incident could easily be pinned to Juho along with hefty fines.

 

Lamenting his luck and his wallet, Juho startled at the sudden knocking on the door. They never locked it except for when Seokwoo was bullying him, and everyone just barged right in if they wanted something. Was knocking even a thing anymore?

 

When the knocking sound came again, Juho crawled over to the door, wincing whenever the little splinters dug themselves further into his skin. He was just about to pull it open, when the door opened of its own accord, consequently shoving Juho back onto the floor.

 

“Fuck!” he groaned. Today was really just not going his way.

 

“Oh my gosh! I’m sorry! Are you okay?” A blonde head of hair and wide eyes peered in from the opened door at Juho lying on the floor. Juho hadn’t realized before, but now he was sure that he had passed out when he fell through the floor, maybe even died, because there was no other explanation as to why Yoo Taeyang would be standing at his door.

 

“I think I’m dead.”

 

“I got your phone call and it definitely sounded like you were dying. Seokwoo said I should come by to check just in case. What happened?” Stupid Seokwoo. Of course he would tell Taeyang to come to their room the one time Juho was actually having a crisis. Juho hoped he burnt his tongue drinking coffee.

 

Juho laboriously pulled himself up to a seated position and ran a quick hand through his hair. Hopefully it didn’t look as bad as he felt. 

 

“I fell through the floor, wanna see?” Taeyang stepped into the room and Juho just wanted to take a moment to appreciate the every rip in Taeyang’s jeans that showed off little patches of his skin. 

 

“Over there?” he pointed. Juho nodded and watched as Taeyang moved closer to the cavity in the floor. “You fell into this?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Wow.” A moment of silence passed where Taeyang was just staring at the hole and Juho was staring at him, still not sure of whether this was real or not. It felt like a dream because of Taeyang, but he didn’t think that a dream would be playing out like this. “Is it safe to be in here right now?”

 

“Probably not. You should move away from that side of the room, the floor sags a lot more over there and you could fall through too.” Taeyang turned back towards Juho.

 

“You’re bleeding.”

 

“I am?” Juho looked down at himself. There was a few little trickles of blood from where he had pulled out some of the splinters, but nothing serious. “These are just scratches, my ankle’s probably busted up worse.”

 

“Do you have tissues?” Juho pointed at Seokwoo’s desk where there was a box. Taeyang grabbed a few and came to kneel down next to Juho.

 

“You don’t have to-”

 

“It’s alright.” With a gentle touch trained from time spent on intricate details, Taeyang cleaned up the little lines of red that ran down Juho’s arms. He was so close Juho feared that Taeyang might hear how fast his heart was beating. He wasn’t sure what to think or do, so he let the artist’s fingers caress his skin with the soft tissue.

 

“How bad does your ankle hurt?”

 

“I-it’s...um… It’s not that great,” Juho stuttered. The words sounded like he was in pain rather than unable to form coherent sentences because Taeyang was concerned about his health.

 

“Did you wrap this up already?”

 

“No, I uh, got banged up a little yesterday. I’m supposed to be resting it, but I think this might have screwed it up more.” 

 

Taeyang frowned. “That’s not good. You should probably see a doctor.”

 

“I’ll make my way down to the trainer at some point to get it checked out.”

 

“Do you want me to help you?” Taeyang offered.

 

Yes. Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. No. Yes? NO. Yes. No. Maybe?

 

The door opened before Juho could answer, swinging open to knock him straight into Taeyang, pushing the both of them to the floor. 

 

“Woah, dude! What did you do?!” Sanghyuk barged in with Youngbin closely following. “Oh, are we interrupting something?” he playfully grinned. 

 

Yes they were, and Juho was upset because he wanted to lay there, pressed close to Taeyang for another moment. Instead he picked himself back up to a sitting position and let Taeyang stand back up again.

 

“Fuck off Sanghyuk.” Said troublemaker stuck his tongue out at Juho in response. Childish.

 

“You actually broke a hole in your floor. Color me impressed,” Youngbin said, somewhat admiring the shallow crater.

 

“Am I going to have to pay for it?”

 

“Unlikely, though we’ll have to see. They might investigate what happened, which will probably just lead to them finding out about all the problems you guys had been complaining about for almost an entire year now, and then it’ll be on them. As long as you didn’t purposefully smash the floor in, I don’t see how you’d have to pay for it.”

 

“Thank god. The school needs to get their shit together and fix the whole building already.” Everyone mumbled in agreement. 

 

“We should fill it with water and you guys could have a hot tub in your room,” Sanghyuk suggested.

 

“As an RA, I can’t let you do that,” Youngbin said. “As your friend, I want you to know that that is a stupid idea and it would never work.”

 

“Yeah it would, we just have to put a tarp down to keep the water in. Boom.” 

 

“And how are you going to keep it hot? Hmm?”

 

“Yeah, no I’m not going to put a hot tub in my floor. Sorry Sanghyuk.” The silver-haired boy made a pouty face, as if it would make Juho feel bad. “So what happens while it gets fixed?”

 

Youngbin scratched his head. “I probably shouldn’t let you guys stay in here while the floor is still sketch. Then you really might have to pay.” Yeah, no. Didn’t want that. Seokwoo could bounce between Inseong and Chanhee’s rooms and Juho could probably coerce Youngkyun into housing him for a little while if he had to. Youngkyun was a pain in the ass but he wouldn’t turn Juho away in his time of need.

 

“You can stay with me if you want to,” Taeyang offered. “I have a couch you can crash on for a while.” Juho couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Spending the night in Taeyang’s room? Was his luck finally returning to him?

 

“Would your roommates be okay with that? It could be a little while,” Youngbin said.

 

“I have a single, so it’d be fine. My suitemates won’t mind.” Scratch that. Spending the night in Taeyang’s room  _ alone _ ? Fortune was finally starting to make up for all the shit it had given Juho the past few days.

 

“You good with that?” Youngbin asked him.

 

“Yeah, fine. Absolutely. Sounds great. Let’s do it.” Juho didn’t know how to keep his excitement to himself.

 

“Then it’s settled. I’ll talk to some people about getting this fixed, you should text Seokwoo that he needs to find a place to stay. Shouldn’t be too hard for him. Also, take yourself down to the medical center and have them look at you just in case.”

 

Juho nodded, “I planned on it.”

 

“Okay. We’re out of here then. Don’t call me unless you are actually dying next time, ‘kay?” Youngbin stared right into Juho’s eyes as he left the room to get the message through. They both knew that Juho wouldn’t listen anyways.

 

“Byeeee~” Sanghyuk called, being dragged out behind Youngbin. It was just him and Taeyang again, alone in the condemned room.

 

They kinda just sat there and stared at one another for a little while. Juho really wished he could read Taeyang’s mind because there were so many things going through his. 

 

Why did Taeyang offer to let him stay with him? Is he really just that good of a guy or is there some slight chance Juho’s feelings might be reciprocated? Did Taeyang know that Juho was crazy about him? Juho was probably just thinking too much, but when his and Taeyang’s eyes met he couldn’t help the blush crawling to his cheeks.

 

“Wanna pack up some stuff and head down to the medical center?” Taeyang said. Juho nodded, he needed to get out of this room before he did something stupid again.

 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

  
  
  


“I still can’t believe you jumped off the side of a building. What were you thinking?” This was why Juho didn’t want to bring Taeyang along to the medical center. There were a few things he would rather not reveal. For example, the fact that he jumped off of the building because of Taeyang. The thousands of photos saved on his phone of Taeyang’s artwork was probably something he wanted to keep to himself as well.

 

The physician told him that his ankle would still heal pretty quickly, but he should take it easy and push back practicing again for a few extra days. Angry texts from Jaeyoon were already blowing up his phone.

 

“I’ve always wanted to do parkour.”

 

“Well, I don’t think that’s really your calling. Stick to hockey.”

 

“But you don’t even know if I’m good at hockey or not. I could be the worst player on the team.”

 

“I thought you were last year’s MVP? I could’ve sworn it was in the school newspaper.”

 

“You read the school newspaper?” 

 

Taeyang hit him in the shoulder. “Just because I’m an art major doesn’t make me illiterate. I use the papers for projects sometimes too.” Juho knew. He had seen Taeyang tearing them into strips for paper mache or laying them down to protect the floor from paint before as well.

 

“I’m actually a music major, I just happen to be decent at hockey too.”

 

“Really? Huh.” Surprise, like most other expressions, looked good on Taeyang.

 

The walk to Taeyang’s dorm was slow. Juho was on crutches, which aren’t exactly the fastest mode of transportation, and the weather was nice so they enjoyed their stroll through the campus.

 

They talked for a bit about their tastes in music. Juho had pinned Taeyang as a more alt/pop kind of guy and was surprised to learn of his love for ballads and R&B. Apparently he was really into dancing and regularly went to a studio to practice. Juho couldn't believe he didn't know this crucial piece of information, but when Taeyang told him the times they had always coincided with his hockey practices. If it was any other time, it would have been another excuse to skip them, but Juho would actually be clubbed to death with a hockey stick if he missed any more practices these next few weeks.

 

Every so often Taeyang would laugh a little bit at one of the stupid things Juho said. He didn’t know the secrets to staying young and healthy, but if it consisted of listening to Taeyang’s laugh for hours on end then Juho was well on his way to being one immortal bitch. Half of what he said didn’t deserve to elicit such sounds from the artist, but fuck if he didn’t love it anyways. His head was overwhelmed by too many thoughts, and the bright giggles and eye-crinkling laughs cut through his disarray like a five year old in the dessert line.

 

“Are you hungry?” Taeyang asked. His dorm building was in sight, but the cafeteria was close enough to smell dinner being cooked nearby. The lovely mix of something nominally healthy and cheap made Juho’s mouth water.

 

“I could eat something, yeah.” An understatement. Juho could eat an entire hockey rink filled with rice right then and still have room for more.

 

“Could it wait maybe a half hour? I was planning to make pasta for dinner, but if you are hungry right now we can stop by the cafeteria. I think it opens in five minutes.” 

 

Never before had Juho been in such a dilemma. Sure, he had lots of problems prioritizing between hockey and Taeyang before, but food was on a different level. On one hand, he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and the aromas wafting from the cafeteria made his stomach gurgle in anticipation. On the other side, the prospect of eating a homemade meal cooked by none other than Taeyang sounded divine in comparison to the weekly rotation of cafeteria entrees. Could he wait even half an hour before his entire body was sucked into the black hole called his stomach?

 

It was a good thing Youngkyun existed to make his decisions for him. Juho saw the freshman headed towards the cafeteria, and since he was avoiding him after Jaeyoon and Inseong ridiculed him for smelling like the younger boy in the locker room, eating in the cafeteria was suddenly no longer an option.

 

“I can wait. I haven’t eaten actual cooked food in ages so pasta sounds amazing.”

 

“I’m not that great of a cook or anything,” Taeyang laughed softly and Juho’s heart started dancing like a typical white girl in the club trying to follow the rhythm of a song.

 

“I only eat food that’s Michelin star quality. If I don’t love it, I don’t swallow.” Juho realized how weird the words sounded after they came out of his mouth as a silly impersonation of a haughty food critic.

 

Taeyang laughed anyways, “Isn’t that from Ratatouille?” which drove them to discussing their favorite Disney-Pixar films the rest of the way back to the dorm. Juho was a Mulan supremacist but Taeyang had misconceptions about The Lion King being better. Juho needed to re-educate him at some point about why Mulan was a historical moment for animation and how The Lion King was just a rendition of Hamlet as cats, but for now he was content simply discussing how strange a decision it was to make Cars into a series.

 

They took the stairs up to his room. It was only four flights and Taeyang said the elevator often got stuck and didn’t work.

 

“Welcome, I guess?” Taeyang opened the door to his room and ushered Juho to enter. It was messy. Not so cluttered that Juho couldn’t stand it (he by no means was a clean person either), but after rooming with Seokwoo for a while everything starts to look dirty.

 

“So this is what the single life looks like,” Juho commented. “I would kill to leave my clothes on the floor and not have to put them away, but I would be killed by Seokwoo first if that happened.” Taeyang looked a bit embarrassed and picked up a few of the stray articles of clothing to throw in a hamper.

 

“Sorry for the mess, I’m usually not here so I don’t notice it as much I guess.”

 

“No, no. This is what my room at home is like. It’s refreshing. Feels human.”

 

Taeyang didn't look like he believed him but he relaxed a bit anyways. He gave him the option of staying in the room or waiting in the kitchen while Taeyang made the pasta. Juho could never pass up the chance to spend some time with Taeyang (also he was hungry and hoped to eat some of the ingredients during the process). 

 

The pasta making went smoothly. Juho munched on the uncooked noodles and was ridiculed by Taeyang because of it. Apparently eating the noodles was “just wrong” and “barbaric” but Juho knew better than to take the word of someone who had probably never put a raw noodle into his mouth in his entire life. They were in the suite’s kitchen so a couple of Taeyang’s suitemates came by to grab their own food and make some small talk as well. Some of them supported Juho’s snacking choices and grabbed a piece of the crunchy spaghetti as well. The less educated took Taeyang’s side and Juho mentally marked them onto his students to avoid list.

 

They set up in the lounge because Taeyang had come to the conclusion Juho thought his room was too messy to eat in after a particular jab during their debate over eating raw pasta. Juho would have preferred eating in Taeyang’s room though because they could've then avoided the only thing he feared: Seokwoo.

 

It was only natural that Seokwoo would be staying with Chanhee while they were kicked out of their room. The kid was practically his little brother; they grew up on the same street together where Seokwoo had scared off all the bullies Chanhee couldn't beat up himself. Somehow they ended up at the same university together, and whenever they hung out Juho put them at the top of his “people to avoid” list.

 

“Juho? What are you doing--oh!” Seokwoo said. Juho thought he was in the clear when he walked past the lounge, but Seokwoo’s 6th sense must've known.

 

“Hey Juho,” Chanhee nodded.

 

“Hey.”

 

“I didn't know you guys were friends,” Seokwoo commented, pulling up a chair at the table. 

 

“Tae, Seokwoo’s gonna be staying with me and Bin for a few days. He,” Chanhee pointed at Juho, “broke a hole in their floor.”

 

“I was there actually. I'm letting Juho crash with me.” Juho peered through the fingers he was hiding his face with to look at Seokwoo’s expression. It wasn't good.

 

“That’s so kind of you Taeyang! You guys must be pretty close then.” Juho tried to stare nukes into Seokwoo’s head because bullets wouldn't cut it. 

 

“I guess,” Taeyang shrugged. “We're friends.” He looked at Juho to confirm the statement and Juho had never nodded so vigorously in his life. Seokwoo’s face split into a cheshire grin and he squeezed Juho’s knee beneath the table.

 

“Really? How long have you guys been friends for? I never see you around here Juho,” Chanhee commented.

 

“Since I went through the floor,” Juho admitted. “But what better way to get to know my new friend than to sleep with him for a few nights while they repair the floor.” Juho knew it didn’t sound right coming out of his mouth, and based off of Seokwoo’s cackling and poor attempts at hiding his shit-eating grin, the taller boy was just as perverted. “We don’t all have childhood best friends to hit up in times of need.”

 

“Chanhee, Seokwoo, do you guys want some pasta too?” Taeyang asked, standing up to go back to the kitchen. “I feel bad eating without offering you any.” Both boys readily agreed, Chanhee already heralding how delicious Taeyang’s cooking was. The chef disappeared and Seokwoo and his devilspawn took the chance to sink their teeth into Juho.

 

“How the fuck did you land that!” Seokwoo said. “I gave you his number and bam! You’re in his bed already? Tell me what happened!”

 

“Dude, it’s not like that. I’m not actually sleeping with him, I’m just gonna crash on his floor or something for a few days--that’s all.”

 

“Does he know that?” Chani asked. Know what? Juho was confused. “Didn’t you see how red his face got when you said ‘sleeping together’? I’ve never seen him blush so much ever, and I’ve caught him singing Taemin’s Thirsty in the shower before.”

 

This was a lot of information and Juho needed a moment to process. Taeyang sang in the shower? Adorable. He blushed at the thought of sleeping with Juho? Confusing. Taeyang sang Taemin’s Thirsty? Holy fuck that’s hot. Taeyang left the room after he started blushing? Kinda cute but still confusing. He sang Thirsty while naked in the shower? Juho needed to stop thinking about that right now or he would have a new problem in addition to the two sitting next to him.

 

“What does that mean?” Juho whispered.

 

“He’s totally into you.” He had a hard time believing anything that came from Seokwoo’s mouth, but this was something he really did want to trust.

 

“Totally,” Chanhee chimed in.

 

“You guys are probably just reading too much into everything. We just became friends, that’s all.” Juho couldn’t help the little sigh that ended his comment.

 

“I’m about as sure of that as I am of Inseong fucking our RA, and I walked in on them in the locker room so don’t blame me when I say ‘I told you so’,” Seokwoo shrugged.

 

“Serious?” “That’s fucking nasty.” Chanhee and Juho exclaimed. Seokwoo was too proud of himself for bestowing such unnecessary information upon them.

 

“What’s nasty?” Taeyang asked, entering the room with two new plates filled with pasta. Juho averted his eyes; he could already feel his ears and cheeks turning red.

 

“You remember Inseong right?” Taeyang nodded. “Seokwoo said he--” “Can we not? I’d like to be able to eat tonight.” “--and their RA were fucking in the locker room.”

 

Taeyang’s face twisted in disgust. “The locker room? That’s so gross. Last I heard it had a big rat problem too.”

 

“Right? I mean, they were actually in the coaches’ office above the locker room, but still.”

 

“Please! I just want to eat and not have the taste of vomit in my mouth. Change the topic please,” Juho begged. Seokwoo smiled while putting a forkful of pasta past his lips. Juho hoped he would choke.

 

“The pasta’s great Taeyang. You should cook more often,” Chanhee offered. They all nodded in agreement.

 

“It’s really good.”

 

“Thanks guys.”

 

“I think I could make it better,” Seokwoo roused. Juho probably got whiplash from how fast he turned to glare at his roommate. The rest of dinner turned into a bit of a debate over who was the best cook at the table. For some reason Taeyang took Seokwoo’s side, but Chanhee helped Juho defend Taeyang on the basis that Taeyang actually made food, which made all of Seokwoo’s claims irrelevant.

 

Eventually Chanhee had to turn in to work on a project and Seokwoo followed in fear of being locked out by the little imp. Taeyang and Juho cleaned up the dishes together with a tense air lingering between them. Juho thanked him again for feeding them, they all had meal points and could’ve eaten at the cafeteria instead, but Taeyang was too kind and waved it off saying he would’ve never been able to eat all of it himself anyways.

 

When they finished with that there was another awkward pause in the kitchen. Juho didn’t know what to say, he couldn’t read anything Taeyang was thinking, and he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries between them. He was worrying at his lip, as if he had something to say, but Taeyang kept it to himself. 

 

I like you. A lot. That was what Juho couldn’t bring himself to say. He was already imposing himself on Taeyang by using his hospitality when he could have just as easily gone and bothered Youngkyun, and he didn’t want to make things more weird for Taeyang if Juho was misreading the situation. Lips sealed and hairs on end, Juho and Taeyang went back to the room they would temporarily share.

 

Taeyang sat on his bed, letting Juho claim the desk so they could both do some homework for tomorrow’s classes. As per Taeyang’s request, Juho put on a soft playlist he used for studying. Occasionally a soft voice sang just above the vocals of the artist and Juho would peer over at Taeyang jamming to the melody. Whenever they made eye contact, Juho would raise his eyebrows to tease him and Taeyang would give a lame excuse like “you have good taste in music” or “I’ve danced to this one before”. Juho found out quickly how much of a big fat liar Taeyang was when he started playing EXO songs and uncovered the other boy’s inner fanboy.

 

They would need to have a discussion later about the dichotomy of their fanboy selves (opposites really do attract), but Juho liked good music and so did Taeyang. Listening while they worked created a more pleasant atmosphere, still riddled with tension but smoothed over like frosting on a decomposed cake.

 

It was probably 2am when Juho noticed Taeyang yawning every five minutes and felt bad for keeping him up so late.

 

“Hey, it’s pretty late. Wanna turn off the lights and sleep?” Taeyang nodded, gladly putting his computer to the side. 

 

“Yeah, I’m getting pretty tired I guess.” They changed and washed up, alternating who stayed in the room to change and who went to the suite bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their faces.

 

“Do you have a sleeping bag or something I can use?” 

 

“Oh, um,” It took him a moment to process what Juho said. “You should take my bed. You’re injured, I can take the couch.”

 

“Do you have a sleeping bag or extra blankets or something?” Taeyang shook his head. In a moment of boldness, Juho threw himself onto the bed and patted the place next to him: “Then get comfortable. You don’t mind sharing right?”

 

Juho wanted to say he imagined the red dusting Taeyang’s cheeks when he shook his head, but the light went off too quickly to tell. Juho squeezed himself up close to the wall to give Taeyang space. The bed was only a twin, so there was just enough space for them to sleep comfortable side-by-side. Crawling beneath the blankets, Juho and Taeyang’s legs brushed against each other and Juho feared that he might move around too much when he slept. His heart was pounding so much already there was no way this was a good idea.

 

“Are you good?” Taeyang asked. Juho hoped he couldn’t hear how loudly his heart was drumming.

 

“Yeah, all good.” Hell, he was better than good. Lying in a bed next to Yoo Taeyang? It was as if life had finally decided to reward him for all the pain he had suffered. 

 

Taeyang murmured in response, already falling asleep. Juho couldn’t relate. He was by no means tired, only attempting to sleep because he was completely whipped for the boy whose blonde locks fell into his eyes even though he had pushed them up tens of times. Their close proximity, the smell of Taeyang saturating the air, and how the tips of Taeyang’s fingers would brush against his arm every time he inhaled.

 

Juho had to admit, out of all the times he had imagined sleeping next to Taeyang it was never like this. He couldn’t complain though when they sophomore turned into Juho’s side, snuggling into the soft flesh on his shoulder. He was almost good, but after that he had to restart the process of slowing down his breathing and heart rate to calm down. 

 

Eventually he fell asleep to the soft breaths of the perfect boy lying next to him, hands twisted into the fabric enveloping their bodies.

  
  
  


Mornings were a funny thing. As much as Juho thought about it, he still couldn't tell you one funny thing about them. 

 

His fifth alarm was going off and Taeyang had long since pried himself from Juho’s arms to head to class. It was cold, which only made him want to curl further into the warm blankets of the twin bed. His limbs felt bolted down to the mattress with how sore they were. Juho thought they were supposed to be tapering at practice, but Coach and Jaeyoon were practically killing him with all of the extra sets and drills.

 

After the sixth alarm Juho forced himself out of the bed. He threw on a jacket and some shoes before grabbing his hockey bag. Despite no longer having crutches, his stiff muscles still had him limping all the way to the rink. 

 

“Hey, do some stretches and put on your skates, Coach wants you back in the rink today,” Jaeyoon greeted when Juho entered the locker room. Juho grinned back; as much as he hated hockey sometimes, playing on the ice was infinitely better than lifting weights every practice.

 

“Thanks captain.”

 

“Don’t thank me yet. Think you can handle us after two weeks out?”

 

Juho scoffed. “I could still skate circles around you guys with my busted ankle.”

 

“You better hope I’m on your team during the practice match or you’re gonna get crushed.”

 

It felt really good to be back on the ice. The chill of the air and the smooth feeling of gliding around as he did a few warm up laps was almost as refreshing as Taeyang’s laughter.

 

They did a few drills but most of the practice consisted of skirmishes to prepare them for the first match of the tournament in 2 days. Juho did better than he had expected. He managed to get a puck past their substitute goalkeeper and kept up with the other players and their rough play pretty well. He definitely wasn't going to be at the top of his game for the upcoming one, but if they advanced in the tournament he would be.

 

They headed to the locker room sweating with their smiles. Practice had felt great and the team seemed stronger than ever. They might just have a shot at winning this one. Maybe the whole tournament, which would be a first in at least 10 years.

 

“Hey Juho!” Jaeyoon called. Juho finished pulling up his jeans, zipping them up as he walked over to the captain.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“I was just talking with coach. You won't be starting in the game on Thursday, but prepare to be subbed in at half.” Jaeyoon thrust a jersey into his chest. It was one of the new ones they had gotten for the tournament, dark blue and crisp with “BAEK’ written in bold white font on the back.

 

“Thanks cap.”

 

“Don't thank me. I still think you're playing like shit. Coach Lee just has a soft spot for you.”

 

Inseong trotted over to them, half dressed like Juho. “Hey, do you want to come with us to Mamma Mia’s for dinner? I'm trying to get the whole team to come for some carb loading.”

 

Juho shook his head. “I already have plans.”

 

“You sure? Inseong will pay for it,” Jaeyoon offered, earning a smack from the older boy.

 

“Don't say that or I'll have to pay for everybody,” Inseong hissed. It was no secret to the team that the senior was loaded, even if he was a bit stingy.

 

“It's fine. I'll get my carbo load from somewhere else.”

 

“Somewhere like Taeyang?” Jaeyoon raised his eyebrows. This is why Juho hated interacting with his teammates. He casually took a step back, preparing his escape route.

 

“Are you still staying with him?” Inseong questioned.

 

“Only for a few more days. Seokwoo and I move into a new dorm next week.”

 

“Have you guys fucked yet?” Juho threw a murderous glare at the seniors who were cackling at their own antics. Once the year was over they would graduate and he would hopefully never have to see their pathetic faces ever again.

 

“No! Just because I’m staying with him doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with him.”

 

“But you wish you were,” Inseong commented. Juho couldn’t deny it. There were more than a few times he had thought they might in Taeyang’s room, or the shower, or the back corner of the library. It never happened of course. The most action they had together so far was cuddling a bit while they slept on Taeyang’s uncomfortable yet magical twin-sized bed.

 

“I’m not going to dignify that with a reply, but I really do have plans so I gotta blast. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Juho signed off with a poor salute to the two demons and quickly went back to his locker. 

 

He checked his watch. It was only 8:17. OH SHIT IT’S 8:17.

 

Juho was going to be late and he was going to be in so much trouble. He threw on a shirt and shoved his equipment back into the locker. Bag in hand, he ran out of the steaming chamber.

 

It took 7 minutes and 14 seconds at full sprint to get to the theater. The show had started at 8 and Juho prayed that Taeyang wasn't one of the first few he unfortunately missed.

 

Juho had never gone to one of the dance exhibitions before because he hadn't know Taeyang danced until recently. Apparently they put on these shows once every semester and all of the people in the dance program or club could enter with a performance. If they weren't having shorter practices before the tournament, Juho could have never made it.

 

The group dancing on stage finished and everyone clapped. Juho secretly texted Seokwoo who was somewhere in the audience, hopefully saving him a better seat. The performers exited the stage and another group entered. Seokwoo sent him the seat and row number, so Juho hurried to find him while the next group got into position.

 

He slid into the seat as the lights changed and the deep opening chords rang out. Seokwoo gave him an annoyed glare but kept his mouth shut.

 

There were five dancers and they moved like reeds in the wind to sweet melodies of a harp. Their costumes were mostly black, but shimmered with the gloss of polished leather or some kind of synthetic material to create another pattern dancing across their limbs as they twisted and leapt. The soft sound of the harp was somehow gripping when beholding the dancers, bringing Juho to the edge of his seat in anticipation with each measure. It was mesmerizing.

 

It was over before Juho realized and he clapped in astonishment. He hadn't known dancing could be like this. He hadn't known people at his school were so talented. The strength and grace that could only be obtained through years of repetition and practice left him with a new respect for the artists.

 

The next group that came on weren't as refined as the prior, but their powerful routine to a fast paced beat was still impressive. Juho enjoyed listening to the music and breaking apart the components of how it was made in his head. He watched how the dancers incorporated the minutiae into their choreography with half beats and formation changes. It was interesting and impossible to grasp the depth of it with just one performance.

 

He imagined what it would look like; his own songs decomposed as sounds and rebuilt as movement, commanding the center stage. The composition might completely change, designing a song with such images in mind. It was enthralling, particularly because he could only imagine Taeyang as they one dancing them.

 

It was so vivid in his mind. He could see him bouncing slightly to the beat as the song began. Hands expressing the emotion and intensity behind the music as Taeyang’s feet carried him across the stage. He would breathe life into each note, elevating it beyond imagination.

 

You could say Juho was something along the lines of inspired.

 

There was a slightly longer pause between the next act in order to rearrange the stage. “Why were you so late?” Seokwoo leaned in close to hiss at him.

 

“Jaeyoon wanted to talk to me after practice. I didn't miss them right?” Juho whispered back.

 

“You missed their first performance with the group,” Seokwoo huffed. Juho’s spirits fell. “But, you're lucky Taeyang and Chanhee are so talented they have a second stage together.”

 

Seokwoo was there to support Chanhee. The freshman was as talented as he was feisty, and apparently he and Taeyang had originally become suitemates due to their shared passion. Juho had discovered from living with Taeyang that the whole suite had regular dance practices in their lounge together as some form of bonding exercise. Juho and Seokwoo were unfortunately not excluded from the tradition and made terrible fools of themselves, much to everyone else's enjoyment.

 

“Did anyone film it?” Juho asked.

 

Seokwoo shook his head. “No filming allowed. Though I bet if you asked nicely you could get Taeyang to give you a private performance.” Juho glared back at his friend with malice. If he had opened his mouth he would've disturbed the poised dancers with his rage.

 

Channeling that energy into watching the next few sets, Juho found himself still in awe, yet a coil of anticipation tightened in his stomach with each passing moment. He was nervous and excited for his friends and unsure of exactly what he should expect.

 

It definitely wasn't what appeared on the stage.

 

Chanhee came out first, dancing like water flowing to an instrumental track. Seokwoo was gripping the sides of his seat with white knuckles and Juho could have sworn he heard him whispering “I’m gonna fucking kill him” under his breath. The kid was good. 

 

When his short solo ended, the lights turned a blood red and what sounded a bit like an old Diddy song began playing, only it was Taeyang’s voice singing the lyrics. Said boy sauntered out onto the stage, feeling the music in every step. His clothes were all black, and when he started really dancing the sheer fabric of his shirt would flash glimpses of his toned stomach.

 

Juho couldn’t believe his eyes at first. This was not the Taeyang he knew. The Taeyang he knew was dorky and shy and a bit of a mess because he was always off in his own little world. He was the boy who would tag the sides of school buildings at night because he was frustrated with his own artwork. Taeyang was sweet and too nervous to tell people what he wanted because he was afraid they might think of him badly. He was a very petty yet passive aggressive person who had a habit of humming whatever song was stuck in his head. Taeyang was quiet and kept to himself, bottling up his emotions to not burden others. He was complex and multi-faceted person, yet Juho never imagined there was a side to him like this.

 

This Taeyang was all of that and more.

 

He was confident and sensuous. He danced as if he knew how it made Juho feel even though Juho didn’t even know how he felt. His stomach boiled as Chanhee rejoined Taeyang on the stage and they danced together. This Taeyang looked like he would slit Juho’s throat with a smirk, and Juho wanted it. 

 

When their performance ended the whole audience held their breath in silent shock. The applause soon became deafening, but the two boys had to leave quickly for the next group to get started. Juho was paralyzed in his seat because Seokwoo had transferred his death grip to Juho (and because he had a bit of a boner but he didn’t really want to admit that).

 

There were two more performances that were kind of hazy in Juho’s memory before all of the dancers came back on stage for the audience to applaud them. A standing ovation from the audience along with a shower of flowers greeted them in gratitude. 

 

Seokwoo lead Juho around and they said hello to some friends and acquaintances who had come to support. They found their way back stage where Seokwoo and Chanhee had planned to meet after the whole thing was over. The two boys waited in comfortable silence for Chanhee and Taeyang to appear.

 

Juho was piecing together a melody from the lingering memory of Taeyang’s performance. Seokwoo was texting what seemed to be Inseong and some others in a group chat.

 

“Hey losers, are you in love with me yet or what,” Chanhee called. Taeyang was trailing behind him with none other than Youngkyun giggling next to him.

 

It hit Juho then. 

 

He was in love with Taeyang. Not just an I'm interested in you because you are really fucking hot and you aren't a terrible person kind of love, but the kind where Juho could no longer imagine his life without Taeyang being in it. He loved him as a person, as a friend, and hopefully soon, as a lover. 

 

He loved him and it made Juho feel possessive of Taeyang. Obviously he had no right to be, and he knew that. Though he was still jealous, watching Taeyang wrap his arm around Youngkyun’s shoulders as they laughed at some inside joke. 

 

“You guys were awesome out there,” Seokwoo praised them.

 

“Seriously. I got goosebumps,” Juho added. His stomach did some acrobatics when Taeyang smiled shyly at the compliments. How could he not have known this was love?

 

The five of them walked back to the suite together, Youngkyun because he was Chanhee’s close friend and Seokwoo insisted he come for dinner (though Juho kinda wished the freshman would just disappear). Seokwoo made them more ramen than they could possibly eat, yet they somehow devoured it all. They celebrated with two bottles of rosé Seokwoo had Juho go buy while he made the dinner. It was cheap and tasted as much, but was the finest champagne to the freshmen’s virgin lips.

 

Chanhee was the first one to suggest they turn in, nearly falling asleep at the table. The alcohol only made him more sleepy. Youngkyun was going to crash with him since Seokwoo refused to let him walk back to his own room 3 floors above them alone. Juho rolled his eyes when Seokwoo said he was going to walk halfway across campus to spend the night at Inseong’s. He enjoyed playing matchmaker too much.

 

With the group dispersing, Juho and Taeyang also decided to turn in. 

 

He couldn’t help that his heart began to beat faster, although they had gone through this same routine for almost two weeks now. They got changed into comfortable clothes, backs to one another, enjoying the calm company.

 

“Did you like the showcase?” Taeyang asked.

 

“I really did! It inspired me to work harder in my music comp class.” 

 

“That’s great.”

 

“You were really great too. It was like you were a different person on stage.” 

 

Taeyang chuckled a little. His eyes lifted up from the floor to meet Juho’s. Hair falling into his eyes, collarbones peeking out from beneath his shirt, and lips just moist enough to shine: Juho forgot how to breathe.

 

“Is that a bad thing?” Taeyang asked. 

 

Juho shook his head. “Of course not. I like getting to know all the different sides of you.” There were a few more sides he hoped to be acquainted with, but he wanted to take his time with those.

 

“What if you find something you don’t like?” Juho took a step back, hitting the chair tucked into Taeyang’s desk. When did Taeyang get so close?

 

“I haven’t found anything so far.” Taeyang’s hands slid up Juho’s chest and over his shoulders to connect loosely at the back of his neck. Juho’s arms naturally found Taeyang’s waist, drowning any hesitation in what he hoped was a solid embrace.

 

“Would you hate me if I kissed you?” It came as a whisper, breath tickling Juho’s skin. It smelled like ramen with the faintest trace of alcohol; not the sweetest smell, but Juho knew his own breath didn’t smell any better.

 

“Only if you regret it tomorrow.” Taeyang’s fingers twisted into Juho’s hair, pulling him closer.

 

“I won’t.” 

 

Like two magnets in space, their lips met soundlessly to the rest of the universe. If Taeyang was a star, Juho was the black hole sucking at his brilliance; he couldn’t get enough. Once connected, Juho never wanted to part.

 

When they finally took time to breathe, Juho wanted to suffocate while kissing Taeyang. If he had to choose between kissing Taeyang or breathing, he would learn to live without air. He never wanted to stop.

 

Which is exactly why they had to.

 

Juho pulled away. He hated that his brain was more rational when he was kissing Taeyang than the entire time he was pining for him over the last few months. The sophomore looked at him with his puppy-dog eyes and Juho couldn’t help but kiss him again.

 

“We should stop,” Juho mumbled into the base of Taeyang’s neck.

 

“Why?” Taeyang hummed, tilting his head up for Juho to kiss along his jawline. God he was so perfect. Juho continued as if his lips could convey his love for Taeyang through osmosis.

 

His thumb stroked Taeyang’s smooth cheek, “If we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to stop at all.”

 

“I want it,” Taeyang said. His eyes shined with more passion than the world could contain.

 

“Me too, but I have practice in four hours and a game tomorrow.” He wished he could blow it off, quit the team, and spend the rest of his days in Taeyang’s arms. Two weeks ago he would have. 

 

His injury and watching Taeyang’s showcase had changed that. He needed to prove himself to his team and to Taeyang. The hockey team might win a few games in the tournament, but they all knew they needed Juho if they had any shot at winning. This was the strongest lineup they could have and without their center they could only go so far. They were counting on him and Juho wanted to prove that he had just as much passion and talent for hockey as Taeyang did for dancing. He needed to show that he was his equal, to prove to himself that he actual deserved someone as incredible as Taeyang.

 

“Okay, you need your beauty rest. I get it.” Taeyang stepped back from Juho, putting way too much distance between them.

 

“Tae-” the boy put a finger to Juho’s lips when he moved forward to bring the younger boy close to him again.

 

“You need to sleep. You want me to make you stop, so I will. You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

 

“That’s not fair Taeyang, we’ve been sleeping in the same bed for the past two weeks. We can still cuddle.” Juho didn’t want Taeyang to actually stop, just slow down.

 

“Fine, but nothing more than that.” Juho opened his mouth to protest but was silenced with one look from Taeyang. “I’m never going to kiss you again unless you win.”

 

Juho swallowed thickly. “Win what?”

 

“I don’t know. A trophy? Whatever they give you when you win.”

 

“It’s a cup, and they only give it to you if you win the whole tournament!” Juho exclaimed. Did Taeyang even know what he was saying? The last time their school even got to the finals was when their coach was playing on the team.

 

“Then do it.” 

 

Juho groaned. He was going to try to anyways, but Taeyang was certainly adding pressure. “What do I get from you if I win?”

 

Taeyang smiled sweetly and turned off the lights. “It’s bedtime, go to sleep.” Juho crawled into the bed next to him, snuggling up close to the other boy.

 

“Taeyang,” he whined.

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

Juho smiled. He was happy. So fucking happy, because he was in love with Yoo Taeyang. He was in love with him and they kissed! They kissed and Taeyang didn’t hate him. Though he didn’t quite know what they were anymore.

 

They were friends, hopefully, but Juho didn’t feel they had crossed into the realm of boyfriends just yet. Even if Juho knew he was in love, he hadn’t said it and Taeyang gave no indication he had romantic feelings for him either. It was confusing and he didn’t want to think about it.

 

He fell asleep with a smile plastered from cheek to cheek, while visions of Taeyang danced in his head.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ 60 seconds _ . Juho was sitting in the penalty box, just under eight minutes till the end of the game. The game was tied and both teams were vying for the championship.

 

_ 45 seconds _ . The whole rink screamed when one of their opponent’s forwards stole the puck from Kwangjin. The two raced towards the goal, fighting for control of the puck. They skated around the back of the goal and the other player attempted to pass the puck to a teammate. Inseong cut the pass short and shot the puck down the rink. 

 

_ 30 seconds. _ The other team’s defender intercepted and quickly gave it to a burly forward who was bigger than anyone else on the ice. He barreled through Inseong who was trying to recover the puck again. If the referee had been calling things right, the dude should’ve gotten boxed for that. Their whole team shouted at the foul play, having seen the nasty elbow that the ref didn’t catch.

 

_ 15 seconds _ . The game kept moving. Jaeyoon, who already had two misconduct penalties, skated at the beast of a player at full speed. One of his fights had been with the very same forward, but if they fought again now both would be ejected for the rest of the match. 

 

_ 5 seconds. _ Coach Lee was screaming for Jaeyoon to back off, deafening in Juho’s ears, but he knew better than anyone that no one heard shit in the rink. 

 

The official opened up the box door and Juho sprang back onto the ice. He had no time to waste. Jaeyoon was blocking the player, but it was already starting to escalate into their sticks knocking into each other’s legs. 

 

Juho picked up speed, skating from the other side of the rink with no one on him yet. One of the defenders started chasing him, but with his lead he was able to catch up without a hitch. He swooped in behind the forward Jaeyoon was battling with and stole the puck from between his legs. The roar of the crowd felt like an earthquake as he skated away.

 

He passed it to another forward, Seunghyub, before having to deal with the opponent on him. The guy was frustrated, but Juho was fresh from his break in the box and quickly out-maneuvered him. He darted past and quickly regained distance to be back at the opposition’s goal.

 

The puck was passed back to him and three players started rushing him at once. Juho tried to break through one of the defenders but was met with a fist in his face. This time the ref did call it (if he hadn’t there would have been many more fists flying), and the defender got boxed. Juho would have a nice bruise on his jaw, but it was nothing to stop him from continuing to play.

 

The puck went back and forth the teams a few times, neither able to penetrate the defense and score a goal. Inseong got close with a shot, but the other goalie deflected it at the last second. Time was running out, and so were their players as the growing tension put more on each side into the penalty boxes.

 

It was in the last few seconds of the match, only five players on their side to the full six of the other team when Juho managed to steal the puck again. He dodged on of their forwards and passed the puck to Hoeseung. The smaller forward slid to the side of a defender and took a wild shot at the goal before he crashed to the ice, tripping over the other player’s stick.

 

The goalie stopped it with his stick, but Juho rushed forward, pushing forward to drive the puck past him and into the goal. A blaring horn announced the end of the game. That was it. The tournament was over. It seemed impossible, but somehow the audience got even louder. 

 

Hoeseung skated over and they met in a victory hug. Their teammates poured onto the rink, jumping on them and smothering them in a painful victory pile. Their excited shouts and joyous laughter celebrated everything they had worked for and everything they achieved.

 

Jaeyoon accepted the trophy on the team’s behalf and they skated around the rink carrying him on their shoulders. It felt like they could never come down from this high.

 

Eventually they had to turn into the locker rooms and get changed before taking the bus back home. They recounted some of the game’s best moments, but it wasn’t long into the 2 hour bus ride before most of the team nodded off.

 

Juho woke up when the bus pulled into the school parking lot. The seniors were shouting their team chant for the last time and rousing the bus with the cheer. They screamed and shouted and Inseong might have started crying, but they were happy. The tournament cup would have their names engraved on its plaque and preserved by the hall of trophies in the athletics building.

 

They climbed off of the bus with all their gear. Teammates began grouping together, deciding who would go in whose car to get to Jaeyoon’s house. It wouldn’t really be a victory if they didn’t celebrate accordingly.

 

“Juho you coming with us?” Inseong asked him. 

 

Juho shook his head. “I’m not coming tonight.”

 

“What?! No. I refuse. You have to come this is a team thing dude. As your captain I order you to come to my fucking house or I take back offering you to be captain next year,” Jaeyoon demanded. 

 

“Maybe I’ll come later, but I have somewhere I need to be first,” he explained.

 

“What’s more important than celebrating winning the biggest tournament in college ice hockey?” Inseong put a hand on Jaeyoon’s shoulder.

 

“It’s alright dude. He’s still young, let him do what he wants.”

 

“That makes us sound like old men, what the fuck no.”

 

Inseong waved his hand for Juho to leave. “It’s a boy thing you wouldn’t get it.”

 

“You say that like I wasn’t kissing you the entire bus ride home fuckwit.”

 

“Yeah, well why don’t just get to your house already so I can kiss you again.” Juho smiled. He was kinda gonna miss having those two on the team next year. 

 

Slipping away, Juho trotted towards the campus with his gear bag slung across his back.

 

It was late and the school had never bothered to upgrade the lighting, so the paths were dark. Juho never liked being outside at night because he hated bugs and rodents and most other creepy things that lived in the darkness, but it hardly bothered him with all of the chemicals swimming in his brain.

 

As he approached the rose garden a lone figure was illuminated by the old lamp.

 

Taeyang was dazzling, a masterpiece he wanted to look at every waking second. His eyes were closed and his cheeks glowed in the dim light. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and the warm breeze sifted through his hair. Seated on the same bench where they had their first real conversation with each other, Juho stood still. 

 

Taeyang opened his eyes and saw Juho standing at the edge of the garden. A smile grew across his face and Juho knew that he was witnessing an angel in person.

 

“Hey, congratulations,” Taeyang called. He jogged over to Juho, closing the distance between them that Juho was too paralyzed to do himself. “I heard you guys won the tournament.” 

 

Juho nodded, pulling Taeyang into his arms. His hugs were the best: not so soft he was melting, not so hard that is hurt, and just tight enough that he was conscious of every place their bodies connected. “Yeah, we won,” he murmured into the crook of Taeyang’s neck.

 

“It's a pretty big deal right? Shouldn't you be off celebrating somewhere?” 

 

Juho shook his head. There was nowhere else he wanted to be. Taeyang was more important to him than any stupid party or tournament. Fate, destiny, the universe, whatever, had brought them together, but there was absolutely nothing that Juho would let pull them apart. “You're a big deal and we are celebrating.”

 

Taeyang laughed. They were standing together at the edges of a rose garden as the night approached it's peak. It wasn't very grand of a celebration, or one at all to most who might witness them, but Juho liked this kind of atmosphere much better.

 

Taeyang’s hands, rough with calluses and remnants of paint, cupped Juho’s cheeks. His lips, soft and slightly parted, pressed themselves onto Juho’s own. His eyes, closed with a fluttering of lashes, lowered Juho’s lids as well.

 

Taeyang was perfect and Juho wanted to kiss him like this forever. It wasn't their first, or even second, kiss (the promise Taeyang made to not kiss him again until he won the tournament was broken the next morning), but the rush of raw emotion and love hadn't waned. Taeyang burned brighter than the sun, blinding in his brilliance but impossible to live without.

 

“I love you,” Taeyang whispered onto Juho's skin. “But don't blow off your teammates just for me.”

 

“I would excommunicate them if you asked me to you know,” Taeyang made a face in discomfort. Juho knew that Taeyang didn't want Juho to sacrifice anything for him. That he was insecure and didn't feel like he was worth the time or effort Juho was willing to spend for him. Juho knew and he was going to change his mind. Because Taeyang was worth it. Because Taeyang liked the attention and praise Juho showered him with. He was perfect with his flaws and Juho loved him. “However, I was thinking we could go to Jaeyoon’s together.”

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“It's a party; the more the merrier!” Juho grinned. He twisted his and Taeyang's fingers together, tugging him closer.

 

“Okay then.” Taeyang leaned on Juho as they walked into the darkness. He stole kisses before they crossed streets and whenever they passed by a bench. Taeyang's laughter lit up the streets when Juho tripped over a curb and fell.

 

It was fitting. Juho was high off of falling for Taeyang, and he never wanted to stop.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think :)
> 
> The dance scene is based off of Taeyang and Chani's special stage for their first Japan concert. If you haven't seen it you totally should! 
> 
> (Sorry Youngkyun and Sanghyuk I love you!! I'll write a fic with them as main characters soon:))
> 
> If you couldn't tell this is loosely based on the Mamma Mia mv so i should've posted this ages ago but oh well. I did it eventually!
> 
> I love SF9, stream Now or Never, and please vote! <3 <3 <3


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